Mostly Folk Gathering To Aid Library's Coffers

CLINTON — When Paul Neri and his family moved to town about five years ago, the Henry Carter Hull Library was a place where they always felt welcome.

Now, the library needs help and Neri is doing it the only way he knows how -- with music.

Neri, a member of the performing duo called The Acoustic Suburbanites, has helped organize a concert to benefit the library. The concert, called ``Mostly Folk Gathering,'' will be held Friday, at 7:30 p.m. at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the door; $5 for students and children.

Seven local folk artists will perform their original acoustic music. The Acoustic Suburbanites, which includes Dean Roumanis and Neri, will perform their eclectic version of folk instrumental music, Neri said. Other performers are David Alpert, Jack Caldwell, Tom Callinan and Ann Shapiro, Pierce Campbell, Ebin- Rose and Anne Marie Menta.

Most performers are either friends of Neri or customers of his instrument repair shop in Clinton.

``Literacy is the only hope for our civilization. Unless we support our library, we will become illiterate,'' said Callinan, a former school teacher and a Clinton resident.

Money raised during the concert will be donated to the Henry Carter Hull Library building fund. The library on Main Street is planning to move to the former New England Savings Bank building at 10 Killingworth Turnpike. A similar event last year raised about $2,300, Neri said.

Last year, the town bought the 20,000-square-foot building for $1.3 million and will lease the space to the privately operated library for $1 a year. The new site will nearly triple the capacity for books, and will provide space for meetings and community events. In turn, the library will hand over ownership of the Main Street building to the town.

Library trustees launched a fund- raising campaign this year to help furnish the new location. To date, organizers have raised nearly half their goal of $250,000.